There is apparently great excitement among the scientists involved in India's first unmanned mission to the moon which is due to blast off in less than two weeks from Satish Dhawan Space Centre near the southern city of Madras.
Weather and the gods permitting, the launch of Chandrayaan-I is due to go ahead on 22 October and more than 1,000 scientists are involved in the effort to push forward India's space programme to the next stage.
While not wanting to pour cold water on the affair for the sake of it, I can't help wondering what on earth the point of all this is. In a country where perhaps half of young children suffer from malnutrition, where education in the rural areas is as basic as can be and where access to healthcare for the poor remains at best a very hit or miss affair, I have to conclude that the £47m the project is costing might be better spent on other things.
No-one doubts India is changing and who would not wish to celebrate as the country slowly throws off the shackles of famine and isolation. But for all the talk of a new India, one cannot ignore the reality that more than 800m of the population of 1.1bn live on around one pound a day. For hundreds of millions of people, wretched poverty is the only life they know and are ever likely to know.
It's been reported that defenders of the mission say it will actually make money because it is also carrying equipment for NASA and the European Space Agency. But it seems equally clear that India's motivation is much more about trying to catch up with China, which has been pushing ahead with its space programme and which last month carried out its first space walk.
I am not immune to the spectacle and wonder of such events but in terms of advancing science I am at a loss to see what benefits India's unmanned moon mission will bring. (In much the same way, the US's space science programme that requires the use of the outdated Shuttles to peform experiments that can be done just as easily on earth, also strikes me as a waste of time and resources.) If anyone can tell me what good this event will do India or the rest of humanity, I'd be glad to know.
You know what!!
India should not have let computers into the country,
nor pepsi, coke and other transnationals,
nor English as a medium of instruction, not to mention space research.
Since its independence, India always have been exporting poverty as a PR factor. Hunger in Calcutta, Famine in Orissa, Mother Teressa taking care of the destitute etc. Its time that the Indians get out of that mindset and concentrate on more important factors such as capabilities and competences.
Alleviating poverty is an ongoing process. The trickle down effect will take place, albeit slowly. In order to alleviate poverty in one go, perhaps the European Union and the US should consider providing a bailout package of $ ten trillion to the Indians as a soft loan instead of placing the money on monolithic financial companies and their greedy top executives who makes atrocious decisions on a day to day basis.
So it does not matter that the Indians spent a paltry 47 million to sent a probe to the moon. Nor does it matter if the launch is even a disaster. At least we had the capability and the courage to try.
Posted by: Philip R | Friday, 17 October 2008 at 11:00 AM
Mr. Andrew
For all your seemingly sincere concern about India's abject poverty, please pick up a high-school Economics textbook especially the macro-economics section. It will make you realize India's moon mission is not the reason for problems currently faced by the country including poverty. For the record, India has nearly $200 billion in Foreign exchange reserves in comparison to your country which is actually in debt to overseas banks. People in your country cannot manage their own investments properly and are perpetually in bad debt. India has more billionaires in the world today than after the United States. It's certainly not a poor country but the distribution of resources is uneven. I certainly appreciate your positive concern on that though.
Please don't make lame assertions like £47million could be instead divereted elsewhere like poverty alleviation. If we had to solve India's poverty problem, it could be done almost overnight. All we have to do is declare India a Communist state and snatch the wealth away from our rich industrialists and redistribute it among the poor a.k.a. modern-day version of Robin Hood. Economics, unfortunately cannot work that way.
There is absolutely no connection between India's space mission and poverty problems. (Already, India's premier space research organisation ISRO operates on a shoe-string budget). What do you suggest? Should India close all its space research companies and its nuclear facilities and its R&D centres because they require a lot of money? Would you also want to sack the employees of these organizations? These are talented scientists who need to do something with their knowledge and ability. This Moon mission is not a vain-glorious attempt. One of the purposes of this mission is to achieve a 3D-Atlas of the entire Lunar surface something which was not done before. Besides, ISRO has commercialized its entire operations by providing launching facilities to other countries satellites. ESA, NASA and Japan are included in this Moon Mission where they'll be sending their own probes. It's obvious some money has already been recovered from these organizations.
Posted by: Rahul | Friday, 17 October 2008 at 07:40 PM
The question about whether India needs a space program when so many other problems face it is a good one. But the arguments used against the space program by many of its critics are shallow.
1. Yes, India has lots of poor people. However, this is not because of a lack of money spent on poverty alleviation. There is more than enough money in the system. There is so much extreme poverty because of flaws in the delivery system. Local officials are corrupt and inefficient. By some estimates, less than 10% of money spent on the poor actually reaches them. It is either consumed in paying salaries and supporting the army or people involved in these projects, or more likely lines pockets of officials and politicians. Hence, the issue of money being spent on the space program is a bogie. If money were diverted from the space program to other programs, it would not reach the people in any case - it would line some more pockets.
2. The space program has been an efficient expenditure in poverty alleviation. Much of the expenses of the space program go into the INSAT program (communication+weather satellites) and IRS program (remote sensing satellites). The INSAT program has opened up communications in the remotest parts of India and has also vastly improved weather forecasting. It has not just made the lives of everybody better, through better communication (farmers are able to monitor prices in the markets instead of being dependent on middlemen), but it has directly saved lives. Till the 1970s, cyclones used to regularly kill thousands of people annually. A satellite based disaster warning system that the Indian Space Program has built has directly saved thousands of lives over the years. IRS has allowed for prevention of famines by facilitating accurate forecasts of agricultural production. It has given the data for efficient fishing to small fishermen across the country. The CARTOSAT program is allowing local authorities to efficient plan urban development. The EDUSAT program allows students in remote parts of the country to be instructed by the best teachers in elite institutions. The upcoming HEALTHSAT program will do the same. The benefits of the space program are immense.
3. The space program is not just beneficial directly, but has facilitated the spread of information and awareness. This is the best hope for reforming the delivery mechanisms for the Government's poverty alleviation programs. For instance, the demand for the Freedom of Information Act and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Schemes, both with potentially huge impact on reforming India's development schemes and positively impacting the poorest of people, came from the grassroots. This has happened only because of the spread of information, education and awareness. This would not have been possible without the space program.
4. There are also indirect benefits through the spread of a scientific culture and a focus on technology. Bangalore became an IT hub because of the large number of science/technology institutions which were set up over the years there. One can question what use there is of a Raman Research Institute in India, that studies basic science, for instance the properties of photons. That does not impact poor people. Or the various departments in the Indian Institute of Science that have no direct impact on alleviating poverty. However, these institutions laid the foundations for the development of human capital in the areas of science and technology, that have paid off in developing a large IT industry. While it may only directly employ a million or so people, the success of India's IT industry has opened up the potential of India's human capital in other areas as well. The people are energized and determined to improve their lives and automatically the country's economy as well. The space program played no small role in this process. The first large-scale use of computers and software happened there. A lot of human capital created in the space program migrated to other productive sectors of the economy.
5. You may say that fine the Space Program makes sense, with programs like INSAT, IRS, EDUSAT etc.. But does a moon mission make sense? A good question. But again, the answer is that absolutely makes sense. The reason is that the moon mission has generated great interest in the space program, and by extension in science and technology. A whole generation of space scientists in India, that went on to develop the INSAT and IRS programs was created because of the excitement of the equitorial rocket launch program that was developed in the 1960s. A lot of people entered the space program with the excitement of being associated with something path breaking for the country, even though these equitorial launches themselves did nothing for India's poor. But they went on to do other things that directly impacted the poor or indirectly by developing the economy. The moon mission, human missions planned for the future, etc. will play a similar role for a new generation. They will encourage many bright young people to think about a career in science. Some will enter the space program itself, do other good work there or move on to other careers. Yet others may not directly be connected with the space program, but will do other productive things. Hence, these space missions can be thought of as investments to spur the development of human capital.
Hopefully, these arguments will convince you that India's space program in general, and its moon mission specifically, are not wasteful. They in fact will help achieve the very objective of poverty alleviation, that its critics say it is taking money from.
Posted by: Sridhar | Friday, 17 October 2008 at 08:37 PM
Hi Andrew
'Misplaced priorities' - This seems to be almost every white man's comment towards this Space mission. But this comment from people, who have no idea of the true situation of any other country outside of their own. It beats me.
And yes, India has a lot to work on to feeds its people. And you know what. We are working on it. But this is no reason to stop our scientific community from dreaming big. This is no reason to develop our technology.
We started working on computer software - 20 years ago. If even a few of those Indian pioneers had listened to WHITE men like you, we would not have young men and women, from every nook and corner of India breaking free of their poverty today. I know it. Because I did it.
And I have been to the US and UK. Two of the most racist places/countries ever. And look who's talking about human development.
And did I hear a comment about basic primary education. Pick a kid from 5th grade from India, US and the UK. Put them through an IQ test. You dont have to tell me the result.
Political stunts do not make a developed nation. You send your Prince Harry to war in Afghanistan - and then send a platoon to protect him. Doesn't the UN survey say that atleast a million people are poor in the UK. Where you in hybernation, when that happened?
Today we are a new nation. 'British Raj' is no more. Accept it. Do yourself a favour - do a small fact check on your own country. Search google for "largest investors in Britain". Write a column on that, the next time. So, what would the title say - I will wait.
Tell you what, check your facts before you write a column the next time. Don't write one - just because you have to. Your country men, only like to read articles like these - then keep dreaming that India is still a country full of snake charmers running amok. Keep dreaming my fellow Earthlings. This will be a true story of "The Hare and the Tortoise". Pardon me - it already is.
Arvind
Posted by: Arvind | Friday, 17 October 2008 at 11:42 PM
hey george,, you can cry what you can about all the "filth" in India, but you are never going to beat us down. The filth you mention lies in the minds of white racists back in western world. All the poverty and filth here can be removed some time in the future. What about you guys? you will always have to live with your minds!!!
Posted by: kc | Saturday, 18 October 2008 at 09:02 AM
well KC , if we have such 'filthy minds and ways' why do you come to our country in droves and emulate our ways! Good riddence to you all as far as I am concerned. Child abuse is rife in India and it is not even noticed, what kind of country puts children to work age 6 and above and then all the fat cats in India live like kings. You mihgt be turning a blind eye to your country's plight - if you read my post correctly I have said that Ibdia needs social justice. I have never seen so many 'racists' as in India, the racism is from caste to caste, colour of darkness and religion. Horrible - and they way you treat women is disgusting
Posted by: george | Saturday, 18 October 2008 at 12:36 PM
george,
Frustration breeds anger and that's what your post shows. No one emulates "your ways". Infact you did not have a way until your travellers visited India and learned how to live. Every contribution that you claim to have made to a civic society was stolen or "borrowed" from eastern world.
Why do people come to your country?
money- the oldest equalizer. Now your [not exactly your, because UK is going down fast] countries have it. Soon we will.
good riddance-what good riddance are you talking about? 200 years of plundering the wealth and destruction of morals. You can not have good riddance now because moslem terrorists will take you down. That's your curse for being born in a race that has abused every other one.
Child abuse- go look in your churches. That's the real abuse for children. Indian children if they have to work, it's pathetic but that's just the way of life. Atleast our guys make children work only if they really have to. What about you guys?
Blind eye to country's plight& "Social Justice"- I know where we stand and I am proud of it. We will change it, I'm sure. Every country needs social justice, infact more so in UK and US. Go look around if you haven't already done. You will see how much justice is required in your own world.
Racism-Don't get me started on this. You know who stands where in your heart.
Women- Who is talking here. You did not have universal suffrage until the 1960's. In India women had that power some 30 centuries ago when first democracies were built. Your slang for woman is "bitch" that literally translates as a "dog in heat". We never had that kind of slang in any of our 500 languages about women. Now, who is better?
Posted by: kc | Saturday, 18 October 2008 at 05:33 PM
Andrew,
You are nothing but yet another jealous fool. Least interest you have to alleviate the conditions of India's poor, on the contrary you need poor people in India to keep your white ego in good shape. Come with some better PRETEXT next time to show your reservations arising out of jealousy.
Posted by: Sachin | Saturday, 18 October 2008 at 07:07 PM
Only point I would like to make is that it may be true that only a small percentage of the country's population cares about moon and scientific research. But its a small percent of a BIG number. You cannot ignore the aspirations of so many young educated science graduates in India whose numbers might equal the population of a small country...
Posted by: vnallani | Saturday, 18 October 2008 at 07:25 PM
Dishonest, selfish Indians. I live here. I know.
There is some kind of competition going on around here in this country namely - "Who duped whom the most", "Who swindled the greatest amount of money" etc. Its not the poor vegetable seller (who tampers with his balance) whose dishonesty I am worried about. Its Doctors (who prescribe many more tests than required just to get commission money from the testing lab), Lawyers (who love delaying cases just to earn more fees), Scientists (of whom I have first hand information), Mobile phone company executives (who keep giving me ringtones and deduct my balance without asking me), real-estate agents (also called promoters, most of whom are also criminals) and the politicians of course, that I am talking about. And these are not rare occurrences. They are extremely commonplace. YOU JUST CANNOT TRUST ANYBODY. This is what the real India is. Its a character problem. You can send a man on a rocket to the edge of the universe. How will you change his character? And someone mentioned "India is self reliant on high-technology." The copy-cats couldn't plagiarise all of the tech from the west. So we did the nuclear deal to buy the rest. (Do we use our own cryogenic engines? I don't have the latest news.)
And finally I swear by the "naptha+kerosene mixture"(which is used as fuel here and is banned) exhaust that I breathe everyday, and the policemen who know about it but choose to ignore it and the lead painted Durga idols which are immersed in the local pond whose water many people ingest that all I say is the truth and nothing but the truth.
I will be over the moon if we reach the moon. A big step for ISRO but a small step for Indians.
Posted by: AA | Saturday, 18 October 2008 at 09:18 PM
here is the answer to andrew's laments.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/164599
Space You Can Use
----
Measured by the number and sophistication of their satellites, America and Europe may be ahead of India. But with an annual budget of about $1 billion—less than a tenth of NASA's—ISRO covers a lot of ground. It has built and launched 46 satellites, which provide data for at least nine Indian government ministries. Its 11 national communications satellites are the largest network in Asia, and its seven remote sensing satellites map objects on Earth at a resolution of less than a meter. These form the backbone of a series of practical initiatives that, according to a Madras School of Economics study, have generated a $2 return for every $1 spent. "We have clearly shown that we can give back to the country much more than is invested in the space program," says ISRO chairman Madhavan Nair.
Posted by: rajeev | Saturday, 18 October 2008 at 11:49 PM
just read the article in newsweek and then comment why the indian space program is needed
http://www.newsweek.com/id/164599
Posted by: abhik | Sunday, 19 October 2008 at 05:15 AM
There has already been enough debate about it. I don't think India's government or its space agency needs to further explain the reasoning behind its lunar program. The person who started this blog either needs to do research in this matter or his main motivation in starting this blog was to attract some unpleasant remarks targeted at India.
Yes, there are poor people in India. There are poor people everywhere. I live in the United States and the number of poor people here is astounding. But that doesn't mean governments should not invest in science and technology at all.
This is the first time India is undertaking a mission to explore the solar system. Previously, most of India's satellites were aimed at improving nationwide communication, mapping topography, chemical and mineralogical content to find water, minerals and fishing resources and also predicting weather patterns. India's space program has already given Indians far more than what Indians have given to it.
And talking about this mission in particular, the main objective is to map Moon for helium-3 resources. While people in the West continue think they have the right to assess other countries' actions, they actually lack long-term vision. And the very fact that the West is caught up in securing oil supplies while India and China have already started drawing plans to utilize moon's resources to meet their future energy needs proves how short-sighted most westerners are.
India does not need any unwanted foreign advise on its policies or actions. Even after witnessing the mess Western economies are in currently, some Brits still have the audacity to suggest others what to do.
Posted by: Deepak | Sunday, 19 October 2008 at 08:42 PM
£47 million won't even assure a day's meal to all of India's poor. Unfortunately, getting rid of poverty is not so easy. But yes, investing in science and technology to boost national moral and aspirations can go a long way.
Posted by: Sunny | Sunday, 19 October 2008 at 08:59 PM
Andrew - United Kingdom & your time will be better spent on commenting about the radicals & religious fanatics who are beginning to plague your nation rather than trying to comment on India's intellectual prowess. Keep making pointless statements & look for a time when British imperialism starts to erode rapidly. Jaguar was only a start!
Posted by: Proud Indian | Monday, 20 October 2008 at 06:08 AM
Space You Can Use: India may now be the world leader in deploying satellites that assist practical work on the ground.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/164599
...The Indian space program is already far ahead in one respect: its use of space technologies to solve the everyday problems of ordinary people on the ground. For more than 20 years, India has been quietly investing hundreds of millions of dollars in its earth-sciences program with an eye toward helping farmers with their crops, fishermen with their catches and rescue workers with management of floods and other disasters. "India is leading the way in the approach towards the rationale for earth observation," says Stephen Briggs, the head of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Earth Observation Science and Applications Department...
...These form the backbone of a series of practical initiatives that, according to a Madras School of Economics study, have generated a $2 return for every $1 spent....
...India's investment in Earth observation satellites over the years comes to only about $500 million per satellite, about a tenth of the cost of its Western counterparts. After introducing a satellite service to locate potential fish zones and broadcasting the sites over All India Radio, ISRO helped coastal fishermen double the size of their catch. For the government's Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission, begun in 1986, satellites have improved the success rate of government well-drilling projects by 50 to 80 percent, saving $100 million to $175 million. Meteorological satellites have improved the government's ability to predict the all-important Indian monsoon, which can influence India's gross domestic product by 2 to 5 percent...
Posted by: jahcloud | Monday, 20 October 2008 at 10:51 AM
How many moon missions has UK launched? How many satellites has UK launched compared to India?
Doesn't UK rely on missiles and nuclear bombs gifted by USA to protect itself?
One can see where the agony is coming from. Get used to it, China, India are the future.
Posted by: Peter Steven | Tuesday, 21 October 2008 at 05:12 AM
where would you most like to live Peter? Calcutta or Birmingham? Both cities with poverty and problems but measuring between the two...i think your life expectancy is much higher in Birmingham. The question to be debated is not whether India can actually fund a space programme which it can indeed - the question is whether this is an ethical decision considering that India had not managed to life at least ninety five per cent of its population out of extreme poverty. Britain has invested a gigantic percentage of its wealth into a social welfare system - in education, health and benefits for the least able in society. It is by no means perfect but it is a very admirable feat and NO COUNTRY on the planet given the size of the country and the amount of people living in it, has managed this in the WHOLE WORLD. These Indian people who are insulting Britain on this blog need to understand what this social welfare sysytem means and if there was any colonial greed - this is long paid back and no longer an issue. It is time that countries such asd India and many in Africa get off this colonial blame bandwagon and start taking responsibility for their own social problems. Britain has helped countless Indian people to settle in the UK for a better life.
The reason Britain doe snot fund ridiculous space programmes is because it has its priorities right for most of the time.
Posted by: beryl | Tuesday, 21 October 2008 at 08:44 AM
well, after reading these comments, all i would like to add is,
1)Mr. Buncombe got his judgement wrong.It is not preposterous to have a space program with less that a tenth of NASA's budget.
2)The space program stimulates and boosts the morale of many indians.It shows what one can do if one really aspires to.
3)When Mr.Buncombe authored his tearjerker "The 10 best things to b enjoyed--or whatever", he cleverly or deliberately(?) avoided a few realistically good things which go far beyond chickpea curry.I can name a few..having been well travelled all over the world, can definetely say somethings r really innovative here..I appreciate the fact that this list is his personal. Its a pity that despite his travels across the length and breadth of india, he couldn't come up with more..One commentator got it better.
4)And for all others who argue about ethical reasons, just try analysing if your businesses who offer drastic price reductions and so called savings, if they can do it were the product made in england??? and if u think no,then y buy it when a poor man is suffering in a sweatshop?..As they say its easy to dishout advices.
5)Britain despite its profile, has produced absolutely worst media...thats for sure..They are the masters of spin....
Thanks
Posted by: Scullerz | Wednesday, 22 October 2008 at 01:57 AM
Andrew-India's good, doing good and going to do good. Lets face it Andrew, it was the jewel in the crown that made the crown noteworthy...No sour grapes now...peace, friendship and goodwill to all...
Posted by: dutch | Thursday, 23 October 2008 at 10:59 PM
Your thinking makes sense in terms of the money being used somewhere else. But a nation also needs to spend on other things which give it something to talk about. Feel pride in itself. It keeps the nation bubbling and people excited.
India is a poor country and there are no two views about it. But does that mean that a poor person should not celebrate diwali. No he is also entitled to splurge on some silly thing once in a while. A case in point is China hosting the olympics. So leave aside other things about the money being better utilised somewhere else, it was done for one reason alone. Celebrate India and being Indian.
Posted by: Amol Gokhale | Wednesday, 05 November 2008 at 06:57 AM
I smell a rat called XYFloyd
Posted by: joy | Tuesday, 18 November 2008 at 10:15 PM
george: send them back we will be more than happy to get them back , they are working there for your economy not for ours. They studied in india and UK is getting its benifits for free.
Posted by: JIM | Thursday, 05 March 2009 at 06:26 PM